Houston businessman Watson shows interest in Dynamo

By Jose de Jesus Ortiz |
May 12, 2012
| Updated: May 12, 2012 11:27pm

Houston businessman Chuck Watson, who once owned the Aeros and was a minority partner of the Texans, attended the inaugural game Saturday at BBVA Compass Stadium.

He made a special visit to the owner's suite.

"It's a credit to the town and the whole city and everything that we've worked for, for a lot of years, so it's awesome," said Watson, who could be a candidate to purchase the 50 percent portion of the Dynamo owned by AEG.

Asked if the Dynamo are something he might be interested in some day, Watson stressed his interest as a fan.

"I'm interested today," he said. "I'm a fan, and I love this place. I hope to see the Dynamo win all its games. It's an incredible facility, and it really gives Houston an elevation in MLS that they didn't have before. This makes us a permanent home in MLS, and I couldn't be happier."

AEG, which owns the Los Angeles Galaxy, has stated a desire to sell its stake in the Dynamo. But AEG president Tim Leiweke didn't want to take any focus away from the home opener.

"We still own the team, and we changed our mind. We're keeping it," he said with a laugh. "Today is not the day. Today is to pay tribute to the hard work of the ownership group that's here and give them thanks for investing in this.

"As you all know, this was not easy. This was driven by the private side, not the public side, as it should be. So this is their moment in the sun, and I think we're going to let them enjoy it."